Jesus Calls His Disciples

Dear Christa—

Luke 5:1-11

Jesus had started his ministry. He had driven out demons and healed the sick. He’d angered the people of Nazareth and had gone to Simon’s house.

Now, Simon and his partners, James and John, pulled their boats to the shore. The nets were so full of fish they nearly broke and the boats so full they had begun to sink. And, with these plain words from Jesus, “from now on you will catch men,” they left it all. They walked away from the financial gain and the notoriety of becoming hometown heroes with such a catch of fish.

“They left everything and followed him [Jesus].”

It’s easy to think they held this world’s accolades so loosely, but perhaps this world paled in comparison to the realization that this—this man—was far bigger than anything they’d ever seen. Perhaps, they got a glimpse of a world beyond what we see.

For Jesus to function in the spiritual realm was easy. He knew the other side. He was from the other side. He saw all things. We don’t.

It’s easy for us to forget the work of God that we have seen. Before we know it, we’re right back to our day-to-day life, head bent down looking at this earth. God sometimes uses pain to call us back, but we also see His hand in the good. Simon and the others saw a miraculous catch of fish. They knew this was none of their doing.

We, too, should look toward the blessing and follow Him.

—the parishioner who doesn’t do anything